Its future was put in doubt last year after organisers from the Liverpool branch of the Campaign for Real Ale said they were struggling to attract enough volunteers. But after more supporters came forward, Camra said the event would continue – and ticket sales have outstripped 2015, with all sessions already sold out.

This year there’ll be 196 ales on offer over the festival, as well as a selection of real ciders.

And there’ll be food from Peninsula Pies, the Liverpool Cheese Company and hog roast specialist Striped Pig.

Organiser Doug Macadam said: “We’ve totally sold out. That’s even better than last year, when we still had quite a few tickets fo Thursday night left – they’ve all gone this year. That’s very good news.

“As far as I’m aware, it’s the only festival to be held in a cathedral crypt.

Manchester held its festival in the Velodrome, Nottingham is now holding it in the Castle grounds, so we’re not the only one in a great venue, but this is one of the most famous ones.

“The city has, to a great extent, taken the festival to its heart. Now we sell tickets on the internet, but before that the vast majority of tickets were sold on a Saturday morning in December, and that meant it was really local people who got the tickets.”

Doug, who also runs Southport’s annual beer festival, said he was pleased at the number of volunteers who have come forward.

In pictures: last year's festival

And Branch chair Sonia James-Henry said: “We would like to thank the Liverpool Camra members who responded to our plea for help last year and have been such a huge help in organising this year’s festival.”

Camra’s Liverpool branch was set up in January 1974 at the Globe pub in Cases Street –still one of the city’s most popular real ale pubs.

Camra’s first Liverpool beer festival, called the Liverpool Beer Exhibition, was held at the Everyman Theatre in September that year.

And the event started as it would go on. Even though there were only 11 ales on offer, the event was a complete sell-out. Doors opened at 7.30pm and the theatre was full by 7.45pm.

The 30th beer festival was held in 2010. That year, Camra’s Geoff Edwards told the ECHO: “We owe a massive debt of gratitude to those Camra pioneers of 1974.

“The Beer Exhibition caught the people’s imagination and showed how important real ale was to the future of Britain’s pubs.”